Just three pupils at far-right FvD's "non-woke" school in Almere

One year after far-right FvD leader Thierry Baudet announced his party’s intention to open schools with “classical, non-woke education,” the first one recently got passed by the Education Inspectorate. The small private school in Almere, which opened in August, only has three pupils in group six, with two paid teachers. Parents pay 300 euros per month per child, NRC reports.

FvD parliamentarian Ralf Dekker, the man behind the initiative, told the newspaper that he was “unpleasantly surprised” by how difficult it was to get the school off the ground. Seemingly enthusiastic parents turned out unwilling to actually enroll their child in the school. And that means that the FvD-affiliated foundation behind the school is reliant on private sponsors to help pay for the building, the teachers, and the materials, Dekker said.

The FvD plan to open state-funded schools is on the back burner for now, because they couldn’t get the required parent statements, Dekker said. On the plus side, the Education Inspectorate “has given us a pass in all areas” for the school in Almere, Dekker said. The inspection is mandatory for new private schools.

The Inspectorate looked at various things, including the attention the school pays to civic education and fundamental democratic rights. Inspectors attended classes, spoke with teachers and pupils, and reviewed the school plan. A spokesperson for the Inspectorate told NRC that the school passed the inspection and it will publish the report in a few weeks. The Inspectorate noted that the school explicitly states that it has no affiliation with a political party.

According to Dekker, the concrete result of the Inspectorate’s green light is that “the school can now continue, and we can start recruiting for a kindergarten class. The positive advice makes that easier.”